WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. Its ease of use and functionality like group chats and media sharing makes it a convenient way to stay in touch. However, many WhatsApp users have questions around deleting chats, specifically whether the other person is notified if a chat is deleted.
Does the other person get notified if you delete a chat?
The short answer is no. When you delete a chat, the other person does not receive any notification that the chat has been deleted. The chat will simply disappear from their chat screen as well.
Some key points on how deleting chats works on WhatsApp:
- Deleting a chat deletes it from your own chat screen. The next time you and the other person open your chat thread, all previous messages will be gone.
- The other person will have no indication that you have deleted chat messages or the chat history. The chat will simply no longer appear on their app.
- If you delete a group chat, it is deleted entirely for all participants of that group chat.
- You can also choose to delete specific messages, instead of the entire chat. Again, the other person will not be notified.
- If you clear messages or chats on your device, they still remain on the other person’s device if they have not cleared them.
So in summary, deleting a chat makes it disappear for both you and the other user, but no formal notice or alert goes to the other person informing them of the deletion.
When are deleted chats completely erased?
While deleting a chat makes it invisible in your WhatsApp interface, the chat data may still exist in WhatsApp’s servers until it is eventually overwritten. Here is some information on when deleted chats are completely erased from WhatsApp’s systems:
- When you delete a chat, it remains on WhatsApp’s servers for up to 30 days before being permanently deleted.
- WhatsApp does not allow recovery of deleted chats after the 30 day period.
- The 30 day duration is from the time the chat is deleted by either you or the other person.
- For group chats, the 30 days applies from the time any participant deletes the chat.
- Media like photos or videos also remain on WhatsApp’s servers for 30 days after being deleted from chats.
- You can request WhatsApp to delete your account and associated data at any time, which will erase chats sooner.
So in essence, while deleting a chat makes it invisible to you and others instantly, it takes up to 30 days for the messages, media and data to be permanently erased from WhatsApp’s servers. Within this duration, it is still possible for deleted chats to be accessed, for example, if someone changes phones and restores a backup.
Can the other person tell a chat was deleted?
As mentioned earlier, the other user will not receive any notice when a chat is deleted. However, there are some scenarios where someone may be able to discern a chat has been deleted:
- Seeing partial messages: If you delete specific messages within a chat, the other person may be able to see remnants or snippets of the deleted messages on their own chat screen.
- Missing sequential messages: If entire chunks of messages are missing from an otherwise continuous chat, it may indicate they were deleted.
- Discontinuity in conversation: Abrupt changes in topic or references to messages that don’t exist may hint that parts of the chat were deleted.
- Media not visible: If media like photos, videos or documents were shared in a chat and they disappear, it can signify the messages were deleted.
- Missing notifications: If the other person usually has notifications enabled but stops receiving them for a chat, its possible the chat was deleted.
However, none of these are definitive signs that a chat was deleted. Gaps in conversations or missing media could happen due to messaging glitches as well. But in certain circumstances, they may allow someone to deduce that messages were removed from the chat.
Can you recover a deleted WhatsApp chat?
Since deleting chats makes them invisible but does not permanently erase them right away, it is possible to recover recently deleted WhatsApp chats under some conditions:
- On Android phones, you may be able to restore deleted chats from a recent Google Drive backup or if you had WhatsApp message backups enabled.
- For iPhone users, you can find deleted chats if you had set up iCloud chat backups for WhatsApp before they were deleted.
- On WhatsApp Web, any deleted chats will remain visible if the web app was open at the time the chat was deleted on your phone.
- Third-party apps claim to help recover deleted WhatsApp chats, but effectiveness varies across devices and versions.
However, beyond 30 days from when a chat is deleted, there are no official ways to retrieve that chat from WhatsApp. The content is permanently removed from their servers after that duration.
Can you tell if someone deletes your chat?
On the flip side, if you are the recipient of a chat that the other person deletes, there is no definitive way for you to know if they have done so. Some potential signs include:
- The chat thread disappearing from your chats list in WhatsApp.
- Not getting any new messages from that contact in WhatsApp.
- Seeing the contact’s last seen or online status disappear.
- Not getting notifications from that chat anymore.
- The contact not responding to any new messages you send.
However, these signs are not guaranteed indicators that the person has deleted your chat, as there could be other reasons like them blocking you, switching phones, or closing their WhatsApp account.
Can you tell if someone deletes specific messages?
If someone deletes specific messages within a chat with you, but not the entire thread, there are some signs you may notice as the recipient:
- Seeing snippets or remnants of messages that have gaps or cuts within them.
- Replies and conversations that seem disconnected or abrupt switches in topic.
- References to info or details that you cannot see in the chat history.
- Missing media like photos, videos or documents you know were shared.
- Abrupt changes in the timestamps between successive messages.
However, once again there are other reasons this can happen like connectivity issues. Short of actually viewing the sender’s chat screen, there is no 100% way to confirm if they selectively deleted messages from your chat.
Ethical considerations around deleting chats
While WhatsApp’s functionality allows for deleting chats and messages, here are some ethical aspects to consider:
- In professional contexts, deleting work-related chats can violate record retention policies.
- Deleting evidence related to a crime or investigation can have legal consequences.
- Erasing chats that contain shared memories or important life events may upset others.
- Without consent, deleting chats with a partner or spouse can be a breach of trust in the relationship.
- Deleting embarrassing or offensive messages does not excuse the sender of responsibility.
Being transparent about why a chat is being deleted allows trust between both parties to remain intact in personal and professional relationships.
How to delete WhatsApp chats
If you want to delete a WhatsApp chat, here is how to do it on iOS and Android devices:
iPhone and iPad
- Open the WhatsApp app and go to the Chats tab.
- Swipe left on the chat you want to delete.
- Tap on the Delete button.
- Confirm deleting the chat when prompted.
Android Phones
- Launch WhatsApp and go to your chat list.
- Long press on the chat you want to delete.
- Tap on the trash icon to delete the chat.
- Confirm deleting the chat when prompted.
This will instantly delete the chat and remove it from your WhatsApp on that device. Use with discretion!
Conclusion
Deleting WhatsApp chats makes them disappear from the app without the other person being notified or alerted. While the messages remain recoverable for up to 30 days on WhatsApp’s servers, the other user has no definitive way to know if you have deleted a chat or specific messages after the fact. However, in some circumstances they may be able to deduce that messages have been removed. When erasing chats, consider the ethical implications and exercise transparency with the other party if possible.